“Ethiopia: Paths to Peace” is a two-part television special on the war in Ethiopia and its aftermath. The Amharic-language discussion has been translated into Afan Oromo and Tigrigna for broader accessibility across the Horn of Africa.
Before a diverse studio audience from the Ethiopian diaspora in the U.S., VOA Africa convened a panel of experts from various regions of Ethiopia to shed light on the latest developments in the crisis, which has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, displaced millions and driven at least 400,000 into famine conditions since November 2020.
“I’m heartened that VOA can provide a venue for an important discussion about such an underreported, yet critical, issue,” explained Acting VOA Director Yolanda López. “VOA’s programming to the Horn of Africa allows for those in Ethiopia to hear voices they might not hear in a country scarred by civil war.”
The panel featured Henok Abebe, a human rights advocate, author and former law instructor at Ethiopia’s Haromaya University; Meaza Gidey Gebremedhin, an international researcher, human rights advocate and community organizer active in grassroots initiatives in Tigray and the U.S.; and Etana Habte Dinka, PhD, a scholar of African history and an Assistant Professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
While taking questions from the audience, from viewers in Ethiopia and via social media, the panel examined obstacles to the long-awaited peace deal, what reconciliation might look like and how to restore unity in a now-divided Ethiopia.
VOA is currently preparing similar televised discussion specials in Afan Oromo and Tigrigna that will also be translated into key regional languages, including Amharic.
